Bifurcated garment former and drier



Sept, 4,, 1923;. 1,45%95 C. H. BOYULS BIFURCATED GARMENT FORMER AND DRIER Filed April 19, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1923.

C. H. BOYULS BIFURCAfED GARMENT FORMER AND DRIER 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19 CECIL H. BOYULS.

Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES CECIL H. BOYULS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY IBIFURCATED GARMENT FORMER AND DRIER.

Application filed April 19, 1922. Serial No. 555,632.

The invention relates to laundry ma-- chinery and has special reference to a former and drier for bifurcated garments such as trousers, overalls and the like.

More particularly the invention relates to an improvement on the device disclosed in my prior application for patent on garment formers filed March 21, 1921, and bearing the Serial Number 454,080.

One important object of the present invention is to provide an improved and simplified construction of the apparatus referred to in my prior application.

A second important object of the invention is toprovide an improved arrangement of seam creasing member wherein such member will be better adapted to produce 'seam creases.

A third important object of the invention is to provide improved means for accomplishing the stretching of the garments.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described,

illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like char- .acters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a garment former constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view, partly broken away.

- Figure 3 is a front elevation partly broken away. M

Figure' l is a section on the line 4c& of

, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detail section on the line 6-6 of Figure 3. v

Figure 7 is a detail'section of the front end of one of the leg forms, the section being taken on the vertical median plane extending longitudinally of such former and'showing the front portion thereof.

in Bifurcated Garment Figure 8 is a view similar to'Figure 7 but showing the rear or nose end of such former.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a detail showing certain stretching and trip levers used in connection herewith,

In the present embodiment of the invention there is provided a base 10 from which rises a pedestal 11 supporting at its upper end a hollow head 12. This head is preferably in the form of a casting open at the front end and top, the open portions being normally closed by a removable cover plate 13. The upper part of the rear face of the head 12 is bevelled as shown at 14 so that the formers proper may be supported in such manner that they incline upwardly from the front end to the rear of the machine.

The formers for the garment legs consist of a pair-of leg members which are united at their front ends by a cross piece or yoke preferably cast integrally with the legs. Each leg portion has a hollow body 16 preferably having its walls cast of considerable thickness so that, when once heated, it will retain the heat for a suitable time and will not chill quickly. The cross section at the front of these leg portions is somewhat elliptical in shape and the legs 16- are taperingly reduced toward the rear where the cross section merges gradually into the form of a laterally compressed. hexagon with two of its angles in the vertical median plane of the leg. At the front of each leg portion a drain chamber 17 is provided and extending from the front of each leg to point close to the rear thereof is a steam supply pipe 18, the two pipes 18 being connected within the head 12 to a main steam supply pipe 19. From each chamber 17 leads a drain 20.

The top angle of each leg is channeled and each channel forms a narrow and deep slot 21 extending from end to-end of the bodydoo' bracket. Below the bracket at this rod is fitted with a collar 27 between which and the under side of the bracket is provided a coiled compression spring 28 so that upward movement of the lift rod produces spring pressure on the under side of the bracket 24 which tends to lift the front ends of the stretcher bars. The lower end of this rod 25 is connected to a rock arm 29 fixed on a rock shaft 30 supported in bearings 31 secured to the pedestal 11. On this rock shaft is also fixed toothed segments 32 from which projects a pin 33. Pivoted at its forward end to the pedestal 11 is a lever 34 having a pedal 35 at its rear end and provided with a slot 36 through which the pin 33 passes. The rock arm 29 and segment 32 extend in opposite directions to each other so that downward movement of the pedal effects upward movement of the rod 25 and lifting of the front ends of the stretcher bars. A gravity pawl consisting of an acutely angled bell crank is pivoted to the pedestal 11 at its angle and one arm 37 is provided with teeth for engagement with the teeth of the segments 32. The other arm 38 extends rearwardly over one end of a trip lever 39 pivoted intermediate its ends to a bracket 40 on the base 10. end of said lever being provided with a pedal 41. Thus depression of the pedal 4L releases the pawl 37 and permits the stretcher bars to drop at the front.

' At the rear end of each former leg is a housing or hood 42 wherethrough passes a transverse shaft or pin 43 of hell crank levers, one for each leg, each drawing a very short depending leg 44 and a long forwardly extending leg 45 running into a pocket 46 opening laterally into the respective slot 21. This leg has a slot 47 wherein fits a pin 48 projecting from the respective stretcher bar 22. Connected to each of the short arms 44 is the rear end of a link or pull rod 49 which passes forwardly beneath the respective bar 22 in the bottom of the slot. These links pass, at their front ends, into the head 12, being there connected by a yoke 50 wherethrough passes a crank shaft 51 having its rear end engaged by a double threaded fixed nut 52. On this shaft are collars 53 between which the yoke 50 is located so that revolution of said shaft by the crank 54 will cause it to move back or forward and thus carry the yoke 50 with it. This in turn moves the forward ends of the stretcher bars. This movement 'of the stretcher bars is effected in the 'usual manner common to bell crank movements, that is to say, the rod 49 being moved forward by the action of the crank 54 pulls the short arm 44 of the bell crank lever forward, and this raises the long arm 45 of said bell crank lever, which in turn raises the member 22 by reason of the pin and slot connection of the bell crank lever with said member 22.

The other recesses With this construction it will be noted that the stretcher bars, when retracted, lie within the slots and that they are thus efficiently heated and that when protracted they still are in contact with the former legs so that heat is continually supplied to them.

In operation the damp garment is drawn on the former legs and the treadle depressed and crank actuated to protract the stretcher bars and the garment legs are thereby stretched and creased, the upper parts of the garment, as disposed on the former legs, being tent like in form so that the heat rising from the former legs is retained and effects quick drying f such garments while, at the same time, it is properly formed and stretched.

There has thus been provided a simple and efficient device of the kind described and for the purposes specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a device of this kind, a garment form, a stretcher member normally housed within said form, and means to project said stretcher member from said form and retract it within the form, said means comprising operating arms arranged adjacent each other at one end of the device, and linkages each connecting a respective operating arm with a respective end of the stretcher bar.

2. In a device of the kind described, a garment form, a stretcher bar extending longitudinally of the form and normally housed therein, and means connected with each end of said bar and arranged to move said end between projected and retracted positions, said means comprising operating arms arranged adjacent each other at one end of the device, and linkages each connecting a respective operating arm with a respective end of the stretcher bar.

3. In a device of the kind described, a garment form, having a longitudinally creasing edge, a combined stretcher and creasing bar extending longitudinally of the form on the side opposite the creasing edge, said bar being normally housed within the form and projectable therefrom, and means to project and retract the ends of the bar independently, said means comprising operating arms arranged adjacent each other at one end of the device, and linkages each connecting a respective operating arm with a respective end of the stretcher bar.

4. In a device of the kind described a hollow garment form, means for supplying heat to the interior of said form, the wall of said form being channelled to provide a slot, a stretcher bar normally lying within said $01; and' projectable laterally therefrom, and

cans to project and retract said bar, said means comprising operating arms arranged adjacent each other at one end of the device,

and linkages each connecting a respective operating arm with a respective end of the stretcher bar.

5. In a device of the kind described, a hollow garment form, means for supplyin heat to the interior of said form, the wall 0 said form being channelled to provide a slot,

a stretcher bar normally lying within said. slot and projectable laterally therefrom, and

means to projectand retract said bar, said means being arranged to independently move each end of said bar, said means comprising operating arms arranged adjacent each other at one end of the device, and linkages each connecting a respective operating 1sgrm with a respective end of the stretcher 6'. In a device of the kind described, a

' hollow garment form having a longitudinal creasing edge and having its wall channelled opposite, said creasing edge to provide a longitudinal slot, means to supply heat to said orm, a combined stretching and creasing bar normally housed within said slot, and,

means at each end of the barto project and retract said end. 1 v 7. In a device of the. kind described, a

hollow garment form having a longitudinal creasing edge and having its wall channelled opposite said creasing edge to provide a longitudinal slot, means to supply heat to said form, a combined stretching and. creasing bar normally housed within said slot, means at one end of'said bar to protract and retract one end of said bar, and means at the other end of said bar for protracting said bar under spring pressure.

8. In a device of the kind described, a head, a pair of forms projecting from said head in parallelism, a pair of stretcher bars each extending longitudinally of a respec tive form, and normally housed therein, means to protract and retract the front ends of said bars simultaneously, and other means to protract and retract the other ends ently of the front ends, said last mentioned means including yieldable elements arranged to yieldably support the said bar ends in protracted position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

caoin H. BOYULS. 

